Police investigating threats at Boulder High, one targeting Latinos

Brenda Lyle expresses concern over a racist threat last spring during a community meeting at Boulder High. More death threats were found at the school Monday.
( MARK LEFFINGWELL)

Police are investigating two threats, including one targeting Latinos, found scrawled on bathroom walls at Boulder High School on Monday morning.

In one of the threats, the author indicated that he or she would bring a gun to school and everyone would die on Friday, according to a letter that Principal Kevin Braney sent to parents. Another threat indicated that Latinos will die, according to Braney.

The threats -- found in men's restrooms on the second and third floors -- appeared similar in writing, according to Boulder police. Officers and Boulder High administrators are investigating the threats and "giving this the highest priority," Braney wrote in the letter to families.

School resource officers and school officials are working to identify the person who wrote the threats, but no arrests have been made.

There will be expanded police, administration and security presence at Boulder High, 1604 Arapahoe Ave., for the rest of the week, or longer if necessary, according to Braney.

"We are going to have school Friday," Braney told the Camera. "But it will probably look different."

The Boulder Valley School District already is planning a Community Equity Forum from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday on the Arapahoe Campus, 6600 East Arapahoe Road, to discuss issues such as bias and racism.

Boulder High's Unity Council -- a student group formed last year after similar racist threats -- met Monday to discuss how to address the new threats and how to support their peers, especially Latino students, Braney said.

Faculty members are planning to meet today to talk about a plan to combat the acts of racism. Students will meet after school to talk about what to do to keep the threats from affecting the school's culture, Braney said.

In the spring, two Boulder High students found a threat written on a bathroom stall warning, "KKK is back. All blacks will die Friday April 16." A racial slur followed the message. The next day, staff members on the district's Arapahoe Campus found a similar threat that read, "I'm killen all Mexicans! On Friday."

A 16-year-old student was arrested on suspicion of writing the threat at the Arapahoe Campus. No one was arrested in connection with the Boulder High threat.